Recording studios must have the right acoustics for recording and reproducing sound. Variable acoustics is often desired. In mixing studios a dry acoustics has to be realized without hindrance of unwanted reflections. Besides that, the sound insulation has to meet the highest standards. Meanwhile, noise from HVAC has to be controlled to a minimum.
Two examples of studios from projects carried out by Level Acoustics & Vibration are shown below.
Dolby Mixing Studio Bierges
An audio mixing studio of Studio l’Equipe had to get integrated in a former school building. The solutions needed to meet the Dolby standard, which desires a low background noise level (30 dB(A)) and a dry acoustics (RT 0,3 s.) with appropriate room dimensions. The location along a busy highway in Bierges asked for a high sound insulation. This was solved using a minimum of solutions, using a partial box-in-box structure with special care for sound insulation of the air treatment system. A single high quality door gives direct acces to outside for emergencies.
The interior design was important because the room is also used as a screening room, where the production team judges their movie. The aluminium wall panels and perforated gypsum ceiling as proposed by the architect were used in the acoustic design. In this project advanced prediction tools have been used to design the sound insulation and sound absorption solutions. Measurements have been performed to fine-tune the room acoustic solutions.
Foley Studio B3 Brussels
In the Foley Studio of Studio l’Equipe in Brussels sound effects for movies are recorded. The users of the studio were unsatisfied about the acoustic conditions, but no clear guidelines for requirements that should be met were available for such rooms. To find out what is important for a good Foley Studio, a different studio with a good reputation was measured. It turned out that more sound diffusion was necessary to improve the acoustics. An unconventional cost-effective solution was applied: IKEA fruit bowls applied to the flat walls:
